Cody British Army Aeroplane No.1
Army Balloon Factory · United Kingdom · first flew 1908 · light aircraft
The Cody British Army Aeroplane No.1 was the aircraft in which the American-born showman and aviator Samuel Franklin Cody made the first officially recognised powered aeroplane flight in Britain on 16 October 1908 at Farnborough, covering 424 metres.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 11.73 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
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Spot it by:
- First officially recognised powered aeroplane flight in Britain, 16 October 1908
- Large biplane with a front elevator and a pusher engine, built at Farnborough
- Crashed shortly after its historic flight; later rebuilt and flown again
Massive open biplane with prominent kingpost bracing, a forward-mounted elevator cell giving a canard appearance, a central pusher engine, and an exposed framework tail on a long fuselage.
Specifications
- The Cody British Army Aeroplane No.1 has a length of 11.73 m (38 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15.85 m (52 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 64 km/h (40 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Built at the Army Balloon Factory at Farnborough using Cody's own funds and Army materials, the aircraft was a large canard biplane with a pusher Antoinette engine. The flight was made on Laffan's Plain; the aircraft was damaged on landing and subsequently rebuilt. Cody went on developing the design and won the 1912 British Military Aeroplane Trials with a later machine. His connection to Farnborough and British aviation is commemorated at the Museum of Army Flying and in the Cody Collection.
Variants
The original aircraft was rebuilt after the October 1908 crash; Cody went on to build a series of progressively refined designs, collectively known as the Cody Cathedral biplanes.
Where you'll see it
The British Army Aeroplane No.1 was an experimental machine built under Army patronage; it did not enter service and the Army withdrew support from Cody's work in 1909.
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